The present invention pertains to tractor mounted attachments and particularly to such an attachment having a scraper blade disposed intermediate the front and rear pairs of tractor wheels.
The prior art includes a tractor attachment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,365 issued to the present inventor which patent discloses a tractor scraper blade attachment wherein the blade is located intermediate the front and rear wheels of the tractor. Vertical positioning of the patented scraper blade attachment is accomplished with the lift arms of the tractor's three-point attachment.
Additionally within the prior art are other tractor attachments such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,007,266; 3,381,760; 3,618,671; 2,147,207; 2,883,776 and 4,071,090 all having scraper blades disposed intermediate the front and rear pairs of tractor wheels and powered by various power cylinder arrangements. All known powered scraper blade attachments are of a complex nature suitable for use with a particular tractor model and not readily modified for attachment to a range of tractor sizes and models. Further, when in place on the tractor, the cylinder powered scraper blade attachments are not readily detachable to free the tractor for other operations besides scraping and leveling ground surfaces. Still further, the prior art does not disclose a scraper blade attachment of compact configuration having power cylinders and an anti-sway link closely coupled to the blade to advantageously support the blade against extreme assymetrical loads. The blade supporting arrangements shown on the cylinder powered scraper attachments are coupled to the front and/or rear axles of the tractor by complex linkages resulting in a scraper blade attachment of limited capability and susceptible to damage by severe side loading. Further, such attachments are of costly manufacture.